Dirty Mind

Dirty Mind
Studio album by Prince
Released October 8, 1980
Recorded May–June 1980
Genre Pop, funk, rock, dance
Length 30:14
Label Warner Bros.
BSK 3478
Producer Prince
Prince chronology
Prince
(1979)		 Dirty Mind
(1980)		 Controversy
(1981)
Singles from Dirty Mind
  1. "Uptown"
    Released: September 10, 1980
  2. "Dirty Mind"
    Released: November 26, 1980
  3. "Do It All Night"
    Released: 1981
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
The A.V. Club (favorable)[2]
Blender [3]
Robert Christgau (A)[4]
Entertainment Weekly (A)[5]
Los Angeles Times (favorable)[6]
No Ripcord (10/10)[7]
PopMatters (favorable)[8]
Rolling Stone (1981)[9] (1999)[10]
Rolling Stone (2004)[11]

Dirty Mind is the third studio album by American musician Prince, released October 8, 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. Produced, arranged and composed primarily by Prince, it contains prominently sexual lyrics and incorporates musical elements of funk, dance and rock music.[11][12][13] The album debuted at number 63 on the US Billboard 200 chart,[14] and earned widespread acclaim from music critics.[15] On June 6, 1984, it was certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America.[16] Pitchfork Media ranked Dirty Mind number 87 on its list of the Top 100 Albums of the 1980s.[17] In 2003, the album was ranked number 204 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[18]

Contents

Music

According to The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), "Dirty Mind remains one of the most radical 180-degree turns in pop history."[11] With this album, Prince makes a decisive change from his preceding more commercial album Prince. He seems keen to change his style from the disco-ish light soul of "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and experiments with a New Wave-influenced, rock and roll sound. The title track, complete with a demo-like organ, is rich with punk sensibilities. The track "When You Were Mine" has many guitar tunes. However, it is the LP's second side (tracks 5-8) which gives the album its unique "fusion" sound and contains the tracks which were most controversial at the time, namely "Head" (a bawdy tale of Prince seducing a bride-to-be with oral sex) and "Sister" (a hyperdriven, punk-ish ode to incest clocking in at just 90 seconds).

"Uptown" is the album's high point, with Prince singing about a utopian paradise where everyone is free to express themselves regardless of age, gender and skin color. This album was to set the scene emphatically for Prince's chart domination later in the 1980s. It fused black and white musical styles in a seamless fashion and showed that Prince was not afraid to push boundaries. Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times described the music from the album as "confident and highly danceable blend of post-disco funk and tasty, hard-line rock".[19]

Track listing

All tracks composed and arranged by Prince, except where noted.

Side one
  1. "Dirty Mind" (Prince, Dr. Fink) – 4:14
  2. "When You Were Mine" – 3:47
  3. "Do It All Night" – 3:42
  4. "Gotta Broken Heart Again" – 2:16
Side two
  1. "Uptown" – 5:32
  2. "Head" – 4:44
  3. "Sister" – 1:31
  4. "Partyup" – 4:24

Personnel

Chart history

  • Album
Chart (1980) Peak
position[20]
U.S. Billboard 200 45
U.S. Billboard Top Black Albums 7

Notes

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review: Dirty Mind. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
  2. ^ Phipps, Keith. Primer: Prince. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
  3. ^ Harris, Keith. Review: Dirty Mind. Blender. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Dirty Mind". The Village Voice: 1980.
  5. ^ Browne, David. Review: Dirty Mind. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
  6. ^ Johnson, Connie. "Review: Dirty Mind". Los Angeles Times: S83. December 7, 1980. (Transcription of original review at talk page)
  7. ^ Booker, George. Review: Dirty Mind. No Ripcord. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
  8. ^ Robinson, Charlotte. Review: Dirty Mind. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
  9. ^ Tucker, Ken. Review: Dirty Mind. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
  10. ^ Schruers, Fred. Review: Dirty Mind. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
  11. ^ a b c Hoard, Christian. "Review: Dirty Mind". Rolling Stone: 655. November 2, 2004.
  12. ^ Columnist. "Prince's Song Lyrics are X-Rated". Los Angeles Times: December 1980. Note: Original article reprinted in The Tuscaloosa News.
  13. ^ Lucia, Tony. "Prince Gives a Royal Performance". Reading Eagle: 52. March 22, 1981.
  14. ^ Columnist. "Tops in Pops". Los Angeles Times: G2. November 3, 1980.
  15. ^ Holden, Stephen. Prince, A Renegade. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
  16. ^ Gold & Platinum: Searchable Database. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
  17. ^ Staff. Top 100 Albums of the 1980s. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
  18. ^ Staff. RS500: 204) Dirty Mind. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.
  19. ^ Nilsen, Per (2004). Dance Music Sex Romance: Prince: The First Decade. SAF Publishing Ltd, 2004, p. 87. ISBN 094671964
  20. ^ Billboard Albums: Dirty Mind. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-01-01.

References

External links